04 April, 2009

Approaching Domestic Violence Prevention Creatively

Have a great idea for preventing domestic violence? The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation wants to hear about it.

In what is the first of three competitions they will sponsor this year on health and health care topics, they are soliciting ideas (not proposals) to help end domestic violence in the US. They have all of the buzz words in their announcement: open source, online, collaborative, make connections... I'm trying to figure out then why they have to add "It expects to draw entries from dozens of violence prevention programs - based in the U.S. and countries around the world..." Does that mean if I don't work in violence prevention I can't have a relevant innovative idea? Here are some of the entries already submitted.

Call it a nod to 'wisdom of crowds,' audience-generated content, or just good ol' fashioned competition, it's refreshing to see some experimentation with new ways of doing business and solving Big problems. Entries are being accepted until March 28th after you register on the Changemakers site. Judges will select the top dozen ideas and the Changemakers community will vote for the top three that will each receive $5,000 awards.

Back in the 1700s, prizes were a fairly common way to reward innovation..